Published: Thursday, November 22, 2012 at 11:35 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, November 22, 2012 at 11:35 p.m.

WINTER HAVEN | Few people younger than about 55 know what a draft is — a military draft, not sports or the wind under a loose fitting door.

Facts

WALTER BENTON of Lakeland was one of the youngest soldiers in the Korean War, enlisting at 15 before the war. While still a teenager, he was exposed to some of the most brutal aspects of war, including the massacre of civilians by the enemy and the mistreatment and murder of American soldiers. He is a member of the Chosin Few, survivors of the Chosin Reservoir battle that occurred when China entered the war on the side of North Korea. He retired as a first sergeant and was recalled in 1991 as family support NCO during the Gulf War. PUBLISHED: April 2, 2011

GRADY LITTLES of Lakeland joined a segregated Army in 1947, which despite President Harry Truman's executive order in 1948 was still mostly segregated in 1950 when Littles was sent to Korea. His unit was one of the last pulled out of fighting from North Korea because it was protecting units fleeing from the Chosin Reservoir when the Chinese joined the war. An artillery specialist and military policeman, he retired as a master sergeant in 1976. Littles escaped being wounded until Vietnam. After his military service, he became a policeman in Nolanville, Texas, rising to chief. PUBLISHED: June 12, 2011

BILL MCCRANEY of Bartow was wounded three times and recommended for the Distinguished Service Cross before he was 20. He fought in the Korean War almost from the beginning, landing at the Pusan (now Busan) Perimeter. He was one of 17 left alive after his reinforced platoon of 57 fought against Chinese soldiers who crossed the Korean border and joined the war. Attending school on the GI bill, he became an inspector for the U.S. Department of Agriculture and spent 30 years there. PUBLISHED: July 4, 2011

OLIVER GREEN of Lakeland enlisted in the Army as a teenager because he saw it as the only way to get to college. He finally got to a university, but only after suffering multiple injuries, including a missing finger and severe abdominal wounds and after spending 21 months in Army hospitals. A machine gunner in the 3rd Infantry Division, he was severely wound by an artillery round after weeks of battles. But he persevered. He is now a senior appellate court judge.PUBLISHED: Aug. 13, 2011

FRANK COHEE of Lakeland arrived near the beginning of the Korean War in 1950 and was sleeping in a tent on the beach near Pusan (now known as Busan), South Korea where the Allies had been pushed. He said he didn't know whether he would be pushed into the sea the next day. In logistics, he chose to stay in the Army after Korea and received a direct commission in 1961 and left in 1971 with the rank of major. After civilian work with Johns Hopkins University and later Lockheed-Martin in Orlando, he retired to Lakeland in 1989.PUBLISHED: Sept. 20, 2011

WILLIAM R. CHARETTE of Lake Wales joined the Navy as a hospital corpsman just to get his military service over with. Twenty-six years later, he finally retired as a master chief, the highest enlisted rank, after receiving the Medal of Honor for his service in a battle up a hill in South Korea nicknamed Vegas. He also chose the casket of an unnamed World War II American casualty to be buried in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington and became one of the first medics aboard the new nuclear submarines.PUBLISHED: Nov. 11, 2011

GRADY HALCOMB of Mulberry was "kicked out" of the Army the first time when his mother showed officials his birth certificate. He was only 16. Joining again when he was 18, he became a medic and was captured in Korea. As senior medic among the POWs, he cared for the sick and starving prisoners despite the fact he had been shot in the shoulder and the leg. He escaped just five days before North Koreans massacred many of the Americans with whom he had been in captivity.PUBLISHED: Dec. 18, 2011

AL MEEHAN of Lake Alfred flew Bell 47, glass bubble helicopters during the Korean War rescuing wounded soldiers often in minus 7-degree weather that required the ground crew to warm up the helicopter engines and run them for a half-hour before the pilots could take off. Casualties were heavy. Often instead of carrying the regulation two wounded to a hospital, he would stack another wounded Marine or soldier on top of the other. Christmas was cold and no tree, but a cook prepared the first pizza Meehan ever had.PUBLISHED: Dec. 24, 2011

DON BLACK of Lakeland was already a veteran of World War II when he joined the Army shortly before the Korean War. Hoping to be a military pilot in Korea, Black instead became an aerial spotter in small planes piloted by others. He directed fighter and bomber strikes in support of ground operations. Also a mechanic, Black made aviation his career after the war. He worked in the space industry for several years including several Gemini space missions and work on the Saturn 5 rocket.PUBLISHED: April 7, 2012

RUSSELL FULLERTON arrived in Korea in 1953, just a little more than two months before the signing of a cease-fire, but the action certainly wasn't "winding down." Fullerton was wounded and saw members of his company killed in a vicious battle and in mortar attacks. After the Armistice, his combat engineering company was assigned another important task, building a barrier 10 miles long on the Demilitarized Zone, which stands today.PUBLISHED: May 28, 2012

RUSSELL POWELL of Lakeland was a 17-year-old Massachusetts kid when he was thrown into battle for hills and valleys in 1952 with more than a year to go in the war. When he left an area where soldiers were shaving to get his razor, the fire to heat the shaving water exploded from a mine, killing friends. Returning home in 1955, he has dedicated himself to raising money for plaques and monuments and other commemorations of veterans and first responders.PUBLISHED: Sept. 24, 2012

James Bradford of Winter Haven, a veteran of the Korean War, would be happy to explain it. The draft ended at the end of the Vietnam War, but young men in that war and earlier ones were subject to being called into the military.

Bradford graduated from Morgantown (W.Va.) High School in 1947. He had a job in auto servicing and repair, but in late 1950, he received a letter from his draft board notifying him he was being inducted into the Army.

"They thought my presence was needed," Bradford, now 83, said with a laugh,

He went into basic training in January 1951 and was in Korea in May 1951.

Bradford entered the 24th Division as a private and a forward observer for the heavy weapons platoon in his company. In less than a year, he was platoon sergeant because of deaths, injuries and rotations home.

As forward observer on the front lines he called in fire from the 60 millimeter mortars in his platoon and air strikes. When calling in air strikes, the platoon would lay out on the ground colored panels of cloth so pilots would know to fire forward of the panels where the enemy was.

At the time Bradford entered Korea, the United Nations forces were fighting the Chinese army's spring offensive. They stopped it twice and then began pushing north of the 38th Parallel. That was the original line that had divided North Korea and South Korea before the North Korean Army crossed it in June 1950 and almost pushed the South Korean army and its allies off the peninsula.

After American and UN forces arrived, they pushed the North Koreans almost back to their border with China. Then the Chinese army crossed the border and began pushing the Allies to the South again.

After the spring offensive, there were few full-scale division size maneuvers taking over numerous miles of territory. Instead, the war had reverted to taking individual hills, losing hills, then retaking them mostly along the 38th Parallel.

Armistice negotiations were rumored as early as June 1951, but it wasn't until July 27, 1953, that there really was an armistice and an end to the fighting. Instead it was an off-again, on-again offensive on both sides with many losses for one hill or another.

"It was moving back and forth, back and forth. That was standard operating procedure: Try to gain ground so they can get a better chair at the negotiating table," Bradford said with disgust in his voice.

Thanksgiving 1951 was no turkey with the trimmings, he said. It was cold C rations, canned meats and fruit issued individually to each soldier. Thanksgiving dinner for Bradford and his unit was a small can of spaghetti and meatballs or lima beans and ham.

"We were on top of a mountain that day. Sometimes they would try to send up civilian bearers with hot food, but the Chinese would fire at them and the hot meals never got to the top," he said. "But C rations weren't all that bad. I liked the fruit. It was like the canned fruit you find in the grocery store.

But there certainly were not grocery stores or native markets where the 24th Division was. "In fact, we were never in any cities or on flat land. All I saw the whole time I was there were mountains, Chinese and bad weather. I'm from West Virginia, but I have never been so cold in my life (in Korea)," he said.

In February 1952, the battle-weary 24th Division was rotated to Japan for several months. By the time it was headed back to Korea months later, Bradford's rotation orders to go back to the United States had arrived.

While in Japan, he and others in his unit were made military policemen to help keep order among the thousands of soldiers. They were supposed to arrest AWOL and drunken soldiers, but these MPs had seen war and what it could do.

"We'd really take them into protective custody, sort of, and many times get them back to their barracks. They had problems," he said of the veteran, battle-hardened soldiers who would occasionally get drunk or get into other trouble.

"And who's better to take care of problems than those who understand why," he said.

Returning home to Morgantown, he settled into a job and married. Becky Bradford said she had heard of Bradford from a girlfriend who used to date him, but he had never met her until his return.

After their marriage they had one child in West Virginia, then followed Becky's parents to Florida in the mid-1950s where their second daughter was born.

Bradford worked for First Federal Savings and Loan in Winter Haven for 20 years and then retired. He then went to work for the Polk County Tax Collector's Office for 15 more years before retiring a second time.

Both daughters graduated from Winter Haven High School and Polk State College.

The war and its horrors and hardships were far away almost from the moment he reached home, he sad.

"Oh, we were all but forgotten," said Bradford, who is the immediate past president of the Department of Korean War Veterans Association for Florida. "Some of us even forgot ourselves. There were no parades when we came home. And people were tired of war after World War II. We just came back and fit back into the workforce."

He said he was proud to do his duty but, like almost all veterans, doesn't want to be called a hero.

"We did what we had to and I served my country when it called me to duty. The biggest attention and appreciation Americans still get is from the South Korean people, mainly the older generation," he said.

"I would take clothing to a cleaners here in Winter Haven owned by a Korean family. When I brought in my uniform they would never charge me for the uniform even when I tried to insist."

[ Bill Rufty can be reached at 802-7523 or bill.rufty@theledger.com. ]

<p>WINTER HAVEN | Few people younger than about 55 know what a draft is — a military draft, not sports or the wind under a loose fitting door.</p><p>James Bradford of Winter Haven, a veteran of the Korean War, would be happy to explain it. The draft ended at the end of the Vietnam War, but young men in that war and earlier ones were subject to being called into the military.</p><p>Bradford graduated from Morgantown (W.Va.) High School in 1947. He had a job in auto servicing and repair, but in late 1950, he received a letter from his draft board notifying him he was being inducted into the Army.</p><p>"They thought my presence was needed," Bradford, now 83, said with a laugh,</p><p>He went into basic training in January 1951 and was in Korea in May 1951.</p><p>Bradford entered the 24th Division as a private and a forward observer for the heavy weapons platoon in his company. In less than a year, he was platoon sergeant because of deaths, injuries and rotations home.</p><p>As forward observer on the front lines he called in fire from the 60 millimeter mortars in his platoon and air strikes. When calling in air strikes, the platoon would lay out on the ground colored panels of cloth so pilots would know to fire forward of the panels where the enemy was.</p><p>At the time Bradford entered Korea, the United Nations forces were fighting the Chinese army's spring offensive. They stopped it twice and then began pushing north of the 38th Parallel. That was the original line that had divided North Korea and South Korea before the North Korean Army crossed it in June 1950 and almost pushed the South Korean army and its allies off the peninsula.</p><p>After American and UN forces arrived, they pushed the North Koreans almost back to their border with China. Then the Chinese army crossed the border and began pushing the Allies to the South again.</p><p>After the spring offensive, there were few full-scale division size maneuvers taking over numerous miles of territory. Instead, the war had reverted to taking individual hills, losing hills, then retaking them mostly along the 38th Parallel.</p><p>Armistice negotiations were rumored as early as June 1951, but it wasn't until July 27, 1953, that there really was an armistice and an end to the fighting. Instead it was an off-again, on-again offensive on both sides with many losses for one hill or another.</p><p>"It was moving back and forth, back and forth. That was standard operating procedure: Try to gain ground so they can get a better chair at the negotiating table," Bradford said with disgust in his voice.</p><p>Thanksgiving 1951 was no turkey with the trimmings, he said. It was cold C rations, canned meats and fruit issued individually to each soldier. Thanksgiving dinner for Bradford and his unit was a small can of spaghetti and meatballs or lima beans and ham.</p><p>"We were on top of a mountain that day. Sometimes they would try to send up civilian bearers with hot food, but the Chinese would fire at them and the hot meals never got to the top," he said. "But C rations weren't all that bad. I liked the fruit. It was like the canned fruit you find in the grocery store.</p><p>But there certainly were not grocery stores or native markets where the 24th Division was. "In fact, we were never in any cities or on flat land. All I saw the whole time I was there were mountains, Chinese and bad weather. I'm from West Virginia, but I have never been so cold in my life (in Korea)," he said.</p><p>In February 1952, the battle-weary 24th Division was rotated to Japan for several months. By the time it was headed back to Korea months later, Bradford's rotation orders to go back to the United States had arrived.</p><p>While in Japan, he and others in his unit were made military policemen to help keep order among the thousands of soldiers. They were supposed to arrest AWOL and drunken soldiers, but these MPs had seen war and what it could do.</p><p>"We'd really take them into protective custody, sort of, and many times get them back to their barracks. They had problems," he said of the veteran, battle-hardened soldiers who would occasionally get drunk or get into other trouble.</p><p>"And who's better to take care of problems than those who understand why," he said.</p><p>Returning home to Morgantown, he settled into a job and married. Becky Bradford said she had heard of Bradford from a girlfriend who used to date him, but he had never met her until his return.</p><p>After their marriage they had one child in West Virginia, then followed Becky's parents to Florida in the mid-1950s where their second daughter was born.</p><p>Bradford worked for First Federal Savings and Loan in Winter Haven for 20 years and then retired. He then went to work for the Polk County Tax Collector's Office for 15 more years before retiring a second time.</p><p>Both daughters graduated from Winter Haven High School and Polk State College.</p><p>The war and its horrors and hardships were far away almost from the moment he reached home, he sad.</p><p>"Oh, we were all but forgotten," said Bradford, who is the immediate past president of the Department of Korean War Veterans Association for Florida. "Some of us even forgot ourselves. There were no parades when we came home. And people were tired of war after World War II. We just came back and fit back into the workforce."</p><p>He said he was proud to do his duty but, like almost all veterans, doesn't want to be called a hero.</p><p>"We did what we had to and I served my country when it called me to duty. The biggest attention and appreciation Americans still get is from the South Korean people, mainly the older generation," he said.</p><p>"I would take clothing to a cleaners here in Winter Haven owned by a Korean family. When I brought in my uniform they would never charge me for the uniform even when I tried to insist."</p><p> </p><p>[ Bill Rufty can be reached at 802-7523 or bill.rufty@theledger.com. ]</p>